Sideshow
has always remained steadfast about developing their Militaries
Of Star Wars line with various characters, from human Imperial
officers to armored clone troopers. They took a few risks but came out confident
as ever to make more for collectors. Some have been hits and some has been
mediocre sellers, but they have all been quality figures. Their first attempt
at a human Imperial was Commander Praji and the results were more than satisfactory.
But they went (more than) a few steps beyond what they did for Praji to make
Admiral Piett (Imperial Officer: Executor)
much better. Admiral Piett is something to get excited about because he is
extremely faithful to the character we saw in The
Empire Strikes Back and the approach that was taken to create
him has been significantly upgraded from that of Commander Praji. The most
obvious reason is because they utilized a much upgraded Prometheus body type
for Piett and nixed the Art S. Buck form. This new and improved template
for 12” figures provides much more accuracy to the human form. It also
has the capability to offer varied height option for figures. As a result,
Admiral Piett is on the shorter side, but he form is just incredible and he
has a portrait that just completes the entire figure beautifully. And since
he debuted in The Empire Strikes Back,
he should be quite a popular collectible and many will want to get him into
their collections.

You
are all familiar with the many earlier Order
Of The Jedi figures from Sideshow. While many have amazing
likenesses, sometime Sideshow went a little too overboard with the
paint applications in the face and giving them what looked to be lipstick
and blush on the face. With the release of Admiral Piett, that heavier “make-up” seems
to be abandoned in favor of a much more natural look. The final results
are very satisfying and we have to say that Admiral Piett is a success
in every way. We would of course have liked to see this figure come
with tighter joints that stay in place as you pose him, but he apparently
is a learning curve for Sideshow and they may need a few releases before
this can be perfected. The expression on his face looks like it was
ripped right out of Episode V. We know he was a very loyal Imperial
officer to Darth Vader, but behind the eyes you could see a man that
may have wished he was in another place and time and not under the
stressful commanding of the Sith. Sideshow ensured that the uniform
was well-fitted and that his cap fits on his head without any issues.
Admiral Piett will make you very happy and we think it may just be
the most underrated 12” figure ever by Sideshow Collectibles.

What
surprised us the most about this figure was the final color of
his Imperial uniform. If you visit the product page at Sideshow
Collectibles, it clearly looks gray (and it looks this way in
the film). But the 12” figure has a uniform that does look
gray, but also looks very green, especially in daylight. But
if you look at the cap that is molded in plastic, it definitely
is more green than gray. But the uniform is a little more open-ended
in this regard. It is a very interesting color to say the least.
And even on display, the figure’s uniform changes color
on us all the time. Looking at the reference materials online,
Admiral Piett does appear to have a uniform that is somewhere
in between gray and gray-green. As confusing as this may be,
we think that Sideshow Collectibles did a really good job on
appealing to both interpretations of the correct color. Admiral
Piett comes with interchangeable hands, a stormtrooper blaster
and an officer’s blaster pistol. And he also comes with
the previously mentioned officer cap molded in plastic as well
as a fabric cap. His boots and belt are also removable and look
perfectly screen accurate, Piett’s ranking bade is also
very well done and correctly made. Admiral Piett is only
limited to 1500 pieces worldwide. Evidently, not many will experience
the fortune of getting this figure into their collections. This
is a shame because as one Imperial character that appeared in
both Episode V and Episode VI, he has more prominence in Star
Wars than many other officers. If you can find him, definitely
pick him up. He is worth every penny.